At about 5:30 last night
there was a deafening roar above our house.
A helicopter hovered about 15 feet above our roof
for 10 minutes.
Yellow Thunder.
Yellow Thunder.
And then landed in the parking lot behind our home.
The parking lot belongs to a Senior Recreation Center.
We like not having neighbors behind us.
It's always quiet back there.
Old people are pretty low-key.
They sat there for about 5 minutes.
And then took off again.
I have no idea what was going on back there.
But they headed straight
for a major trauma center.
Scary stuff Maynard.
Subject Change:
I've been going through my house
and sorting through what I can get rid of.
It's ridiculous the amount of stuff we have.
I'm not a hoarder.
Not by a long shot.
I don't need a lot of stuff,
but it does tend to accumulate.
Our plans are to move in one year,
so I'm getting a head start.
I want to live more simply.
I'm considering getting rid of most
of my scrapbooking materials.
They take up so much room.
I think I'll either try to sell it on Craigslist
or have a garage sale.
Crazy, Right?
That's not even a quarter of it.
I also have lamps,
and Fiestaware Dishes,
kitchen goods,
clothes,
Just too much stuff.
I'm hoping to buy a much smaller home.
It will be just the two of us.
We only need two bedrooms.
I'm tired of cleaning this one.
We are wanting to simplify our lives
and buy cheap and get it paid off before we retire.
When I say we, I mean me.
Brian still has the wants.
"I want that!"
"I want that!"
Ninety percent of the stuff in the
attic is his.
And it hasn't been used in two years.
But he believes he still needs
every single thing up there.
What do I know?
Maybe he does.
But I have my doubts.
I want to live in one of these
teeny tiny houses.
But have you seen my husband?
The rather large truck driver dude?
He's like a happy buffalo.
Walking through the house and
bouncing off the walls.
Those houses probably wouldn't work
for us.
But I'm still on a mission to
get back to the basics.
Room by Room.
Closet by Closet.
Drawer by Drawer.
It's gotta go.
And that's all I have for today.
Holly
xxx-ooo
20 comments:
I'm so glad you posted I missed your funny and sometime serious posts,, we live in a 500 square foot apartment,, I know all about downsizing,, now we had to sell our house because we lived in a very rural remote area and Garry was very sick so it wan't a happy move but I tell you,, best thing we ever did.We have only what we need and no more,, very freeing and I'm not sad about it now,, good luck holly,, your hubby will probably come on board eventually,, it takes time for some.Besides, downsizing may bring retirement earlier,, he's gotta love that, right?Maybe you should do a blog yard sale,, I've saw a few of those,,
Wow, you do have lots of scrapbooking stuff! I don't scrapbook myself, but I still love looking through those aisles at the craft store. =) I wish you lived closer, I would totally come to your garage sale if you had one! It sounds amazing! I know what you mean about downsizing, it feels so good to get rid of cluttery stuff and be free.
Really good to have a year head start on getting ready to move. Hope you post about how you are doing - maybe a garage for B to store the stuff he wants to keep? It will be a year of challenges in letting go.
- Joy
Admirable indeed. And smart. We've lived in various square footages over the years and settled on a small 1100 sq ft one where we're quite content. It's perfect for us and not great for company, but how often does THAT happen?
We have moved 16 times in our lives and it was nice because you didn't accumulate stuff. Now that we've been here 9 yrs, the 'stuff' is taking over. But since we're NOT moving ever again, perhaps it's time to think about getting rid of things not needed....like you.
Thanks for the great idea. I'll just send it to YOU and you can sent me yours!
Greetings from the lake! I am sitting here with my coffee still, listening the boats roar on by pulling skiers and tubers. The menfolk are all out on the water with the little one's trying to catch a fish. Camp is quiet this morning. We will be out on the lake soon, enjoying another day in paradise. Wanted to say hey. Good luck with project simplify!!
You better check with Pat about those scrapbooking items. She'd probably buy you out.
My gramma used to say "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."
I loved that. She still had an entire room we called the wreath room. Filled to he rafters with all kinds of crafting crap and stuff to make her beloved wreaths. I miss my gramma.
It's amazing what we accumulate everyday without noticing it until we have a big pile...we have a small house...always have, so I really need to be careful what comes inside...but you'd be surprised at how much stuff fits in here!!
Hey Holly..I am always kind of glad I never got started in that scrapbooking artsy stuff...it is mind-boggling how much stuff you can accumulate of that stuff..not to mention all the money you can spend on it! i would rather buy less and save my money for travel with my little trailer...need to email you soon...things are ok here...
Awww. Lucy's thinking about me.
It's funny - I just came to my computer from my scrapbooking room - yes a whole room full of scrapbooking stuff - having sorted through stacks of paper and deciding that some (a lot) of it needs to go. I noticed that we have some of the same stamps and punches. I could use more for our AZ home though - I often get the urge to scrapbook when we're down there and just have one container of stuff. Let me know when you're ready to sell.
Downsizing is fun. We've been doing it gradually over the past few years - started by selling our big house to one of our kids who filled it up with 4 kids and lots of toys! I haven't quite got the hang of not replacing stuff I've got rid of! Good luck to you. Be strong.
I once lived in an 8 x 10 tent. For a year. As an adult. With a husband and an infant. In this century.
That year was one of the happiest of my 69 years on this planet.
Keep throwing stuff away, Holly. Not your husband, though.
At the start of your post, I thought you were going to tell us that aliens abducted you.
We had a 10 room house in New England 13 years ago when we decided to buy a sailboat to enjoy in the summer. Well, we did enjoy it -- so much so that the following year we bought a bigger sailboat (44') and sold our house and all our belongings except for family keepsakes and moved onboard the boat (which had been moved to San Diego). We lived on this 44' boat for 5 years. It's amazing how comfy you can be without all the extras we have in our homes.
Then we had to move to the desert for work and bought a 1700 square foot house and in 18 months it was filled! This past January when we moved here to Havasu I could not imagine all that we had accumulated -- I packed over 130 boxes!
And I'm one who goes through my stuff and pares down on a regular basis. I think the stuff multiples on its own in the middle of the night!!
Good luck :)
Sounds like you are on a good mission. I love getting rid of things makes me feel like I lost weight. Not really but you get the idea.
Getting back to basics is a great thing. When I moved in June, I got rid of a whole bunch of stuff I just didn't need. Scrapbooking stuff went, the seven boxes of books went to the library, you get my meaning. I felt lighter.
I have always wanted a small "cottage". Too much space and I lose the homey feeling.
My husband has been clearing out his Mom's house with his sister and brothers. It makes me want to do all the sorting so someone else won't have to.
I had to clean out my mom's house. Then three years later we moved 1000 miles away and I had to downsize our life too. I'm all for decluttering. I sold all my scrapbooking stuff. Don't sell your paper cutter though. That comes in so handy in life beyond scrapping. Would Brian be willing to live in that small of a place.
Oh, the Yellow Thunder is so weird. You didn't hinky up on the fence and peek over? Would a chopper blade have taken off your head? That is weird.
Holly those little houses are so cute! But girl, they are where you visit, not where you live. My tenants at the senior apartments have about 500 sq ft, but the having and keeping does not stop, it only becomes dangerous because there is no place to put it. Think on this hard, don't give away what you love hoping you will be able to live without it.....cause we just don't as human beings. We were meant to store what we need to survive, and that means physical,social and emotional - which does mean stuff......
Holly, my email address is millicent48@shaw.ca. I'll check craigslist for your stuff.
I just did this when we moved a few months ago.....I sold all my scrappy stuff on ebay and gave lots away, and I still have an entire closet full!!! I have vowed NOT to buy fabric or scrappy crap til I use what I have!!! I also had yard sales and make at least a dozen trips to the thrift store. I swear I got rid of 40% of my crap....and I still managed to fill a huge house???? I guess I didnt get rid of enough??? all I can say is "start scrapping baby!"
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